4 For we know, brothers and sisters loved by God, that he has chosen you, 5 because our gospel came to you not simply with words but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and deep conviction. 1 Thessalonians 1:4-5

The Good News (the Gospel) of Jesus Christ is powerful. We know that for a fact because it changed our lives. No one can deny that. People can and will denounce the Bible and Christianity but they cannot deny the experiences of individual Christians.

Unfortunately, I think we sometimes forget the power of the gospel and the Holy Spirit behind it. We also forget that the Holy Spirit is the one who convicts people of sin. Of course He uses our words to prompt their thoughts but He is the only one who convicts. That’s good news for all of us. We no longer have to figure out how to precisely present the Gospel – or worse – try to guilt people into repenting based on the sin we know about in that person’s life. It should be a huge burden lifted from our shoulders.

so, when we pray for people who are not Believers, we should pray that the Holy Spirit will continue to convict that person through whatever means possible: words, dreams, actions, circumstances. Let God decide when, where, and how to convict.

Thank you, God for the convicting power of the Holy Spirit not only in our lives but in the lives of non-believers.